Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-01-29
HOT SPRINGS.
An Entertaining Letter.
Hor SPRINGS, Ark, Jan. "a, 1887

Tothe Editor of the Western Kansas Worio:
4 I believe made partial promise tf
YOU. when we parted in Wa-Keeney, thai
If in my travels I found anything that q
thought would interest your readers,
would respond.
After a 36-hour ride over the Union
Pacific. Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf
st. Louis & Iron Mountain, and the Hot
Springs rail roads, I find myself In the
city of Hot Springs, where are located the
world-renouned hot springs.
These hot springs are situated on the
mountain, the creek and in the valley OF
the same name, fifty-fve miles southwest
of Little Rock, the capital of the state,
and twenty-five miles from Malvern, the
junction of the st. Louis, Iron Mountain
& Southern and Hot Springs railroads.
When came here, my faith in the
curative qualities of these waters was not
the strongest, but after being here two
weeks have changed my mind. have
talked with many persons here who came
to this place on crutches, and some had
to be carried back and forth to the bath
tubs, and nearly every one say they are
cured or wonderfully helped.
1 believe these hot springs are yet In
their infancy, and the time will come when
they will be better known by suffering
humanity than they are at present.
These springs issue forth from the
western slope of the Hot Springs noun
tain "a spur of the Ozark mountain) at an
elevation of 700 to 800 feet above the level
of the sea; the most of them from 30 to 70
feet above the level of the valley, and
few near the margin of the creek. The
whole number of springs now is seventy
one, having increased one or two annually
for several years. They have tempera-
ture ranging respectively from TO to
1879 Fahrenheit, and make natural
discharge of three hundred and thirty
five gallons every minute. If these waters
were all concentrated they would supply
10000 persons daily, allowing twenty-five
gallons for each individual.
The time is not far distant when the
full supply of these waters will be in de-
mand. There are quite number Of hot
springs in and near the bed of the creek
that have never been carefully examined.
Some day they may be required to sup
ply demand that the springs now in use
may not be able to do.
Strangers, on visiting the hot springs
on the mountain side, and examining the
waters, form an idea that the hot and cold
springs exist within a few feet of each
other, but it is not the case; all these
springs are hot, with one exception. The
waters from the springs flow into beau
tiful mountain stream, twenty or thirty
feet wide, and cause a slight vapor to
rise from its surface. This creek is being
rapidly arched over by the U. s. govern
ment, and filled in, so that street will
soon appear where the creek now is.
Hot Springs Mountain, with all its
springs, is a permanent government res
ervation, and all the. bath houses are un-
der the the control of the government,
and the ground on which these fue bath
houses stand is leased from the govern,
ment. The prices for bath tickets range
from Is to 30 cents for single bath, or
tickets for a course of twenty-one baths
range from 81 to Sc. The secretary of
the interior, by law, has the regulation of
the prices of baths, as well as other mat
tiers concerning the permanent reser-
walton. The government have free bath
ing pools for both sexes. They are
managed by paid official, who keeps a
record of the name, age, disc ase, sex and
residence of each bather. He also keeps
a record, signed by the party cured, Civ
ing residence and history of the case
This will furnish valuable data for future
use, and which ought to be published in
all leading papers. A three months re-
port shows that 1886 baths were given
in these pools to persons from every
state in the union, about one-fourth being
females. This report shows the greatest
number being from Texas and the least
from Vermont. rheumatism and Syphi-
lis head the list in diseases. Out of the
1885 baths, of the former were 7,S49 and
of the latter 600. The next highest is
general health.
The government has done we'll in build
ing these free bathing pools, but would
like to see still further improvements,
viz: a building for the accommodation of
the thousands who come here not hav-
ing any means to pay for lodging. I
would call this building the q. S. Free
Bathing Hospital.
The government has just completed
very fine Army and Navy Hospital, at a
cost of about S150,0OO. This fine build
ing is located on the side of Hot Springs
mountain, and is an ornament to he,
city of Hot Springs.
There are ten regular bath houses in